There is Always Hope
by Quadrantje
Summary: JC. Sequel to That Child of Yours. Set during Resolutions.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: not my characters or world, just borrowing.**

 **A/N: it took a while, but I promised you guys a sequel, so here it is. This chapter is for Shani, who has been leaving me awesome reviews.**

 **About five months after the end of That Child of Yours**

Chakotay awoke to the beautiful sight of a clear blue sky above him. He was disoriented for a moment, certain that he'd fallen asleep on a ship instead of a planet. He could vaguely hear the soft murmur of the wind. Then he realised he was in a stasis pod and everything came back to him. He pushed aside the lid and stepped out of the pod, the ground crunching beneath his feet. Usually, the sounds and sights of a planet would be very welcome to him, after a long time on a starship, but now he feared they whispered unwelcome news. Waking up on the planet instead of Voyager did not bode well for the Doctor's attempts to find a cure.

Within a few moments his suspicions were confirmed when the Doctor contacted them. They were essentially trapped on the planet, unable to leave it without risking a possibly fatal relapse of the virus that had infected them. The Doctor had exhausted all possibilities of finding a cure and, aside from contacting the Vidiians, didn't know how to proceed. The Captain and himself had no choice but to accept the fact that Voyager would have to go on without them.

He knew that she had reached the same conclusion when she hailed Tuvok. After checking that he had been informed of their situation, she gave him what could very well be the last orders of her Starfleet career. "I'm turning over command of the ship to you, on a permanent basis," she informed their (former?) security chief. "Your orders are to resume a course for the Alpha Quadrant. And regardless of the Doctor's suggestion, you are not to make contact with the Vidians."

Tuvok sounded grave, even for a Vulcan, when he replied. "I understand."

"I'll prepare a message for the crew," the Captain continued. She paused, trying to find a dignified way to say goodbye to her long-time friend. Before she could find the words, Tuvok interrupted.

"Captain, if I might inquire, what do you wish to do with the embryo currently in stasis? We could stay in orbit long enough for the Doctor to implant it, if that is your wish."

At the first mention of their child, Kathryn went rigid. By the stiffening of her shoulders, Chakotay knew that she hadn't considered this complication yet. He couldn't blame her, he didn't want to think of it either. He remembered his last thought before stasis being a fervent wish that the Doctor would succeed, so it wouldn't come to this. But it had. After a moment of thought, Kathryn turned around to face him, the conflict and indecision clearly written on her face. She searched his face for a solution, but found only the same tortuous thoughts. "I'll have to discuss it with the Commander, Tuvok." She finally answered. "I'll let you know as soon as we reach a decision. Janeway out."

The connection terminated, leaving a fraught silence behind. Chakotay watched in silence as the Captain began to pace, his own mind sorting through the options. In his mind, it came down to two possibilities: have a child now, here on this planet, or leave her on Voyager. If they chose the latter, they would have to let her go on without them. They might never see each other again, never know what had become of her, if she was alive. Or they could keep her with them. His heart screamed for that option, but he knew they might be condemning her to a very lonely life. She could very well contract the same disease they had and get stuck on this planet for the rest of her life. What would happen to her after they died? If she even survived the initial infection. With a heavy heart, Chakotay realised there was only one option: they had to let her go.

At the same moment that he came to his decision, the Captain stopped pacing, spun on her heels to face him and blurted out, "We can't leave her behind. I'll call the Doctor and have him perform the procedure as soon as possible."

She reached for her comm. badge, but Chakotay was faster, grabbing her hand before she could touch the badge. "Wait, Kathryn, think about this." He asked, his voice as passionate as she'd ever heard it. "I think we should let her stay on Voyager."

Kathryn responded with equal passion. "And let her go?" she exclaimed incredulously. "She belongs with us, we're her parents!"

Chakotay wanted nothing more than to agree with her, to have their child and damn the consequences. His traitorous heart could already picture it. A home. Holding their child, Kathryn singing her to sleep. The longing that stole through him nearly took his breath away. Still, he fought his feelings. "We have to do what's best for her." He said, to remind himself as much as her. He tried to stay rational, to tramp down his emotions. "If we keep her with us, she'll be stuck here, just as we are, possibly for the rest of her life. On Voyager, she'd have a future."

Kathryn didn't embrace his restraint. On the contrary, the more rational his tone, the more passionate she became, until she was almost shouting. "What kind of future? Who'll take care of her, who'll love her? We're her family!" Her jaw was set determinedly. He recognized her expression, it was the Captain who had made up her mind. Her way or the high way. However, this time he had no intention of backing down. "Besides, I'm sure I'll find an antidote for this virus. I'm not planning on being trapped here forever."

She didn't add _with you_ , but he heard it in the sting of her words. He tried to shove it aside, not let his hurt feelings provoke him into a fight. "We don't even know if there is an antidote."

Kathryn actually scoffed at him for that remark. "Of course there's an antidote. And I'm sure Voyager will provide us with everything I need to find it. Besides, our child might even be the key to getting off this planet, she could be born with natural antibodies."

At those words Chakotay, who up until then had been fighting reasonably successfully against his own growing emotions, exploded. "She's not a lab rat, she's our daughter!"

His uncharacteristic outburst silenced Kathryn, who stared at him wide-eyed. Seeing his genuine agitation, her eyes softened and she took a step nearer to close the distance between them. Her hand rested gently on his chest, right above his heart.

"I'm sorry, Chakotay," she said, sincerely. "I didn't mean it that way. I just…" she paused, her eyes drifting away from his gaze. His outburst had already diffused most of his anger and the rest of it leaked away at her hesitation. The tension disappeared from his shoulders and he placed his own hand over hers, gripping it lightly. When her eyes once again met his, he saw genuine pain in her eyes, the depth of it matched his. "I let her go once," she said, "and I promised myself that one day I'd be free to choose her, instead of my duty. I can't abandon her a second time, not when I know it could very well be forever."

"I know it's not easy, Kathryn, but letting her go is the greatest gift we can give her right now. And it might not be forever. You're right, we could find an antidote."

"She'll grow up without us." Kathryn whispered, the tears in her throat making it difficult to speak. "She'll be all alone."

"You know our crew will take good care of her. They won't let anything happen to her." Chakotay soothed gently.

Kathryn closed her eyes, struggling with her own feelings. "Al right." She finally whispered, the words painful on her tongue. Another moment passed while she pulled herself together. Seeing her struggle with this decision, Chakotay could no longer hide from his own feelings of sadness. He released her hand only to enfold her into a tight hug. As he felt her give into her grief, her shoulders shaking with her sobs, his own tears fell silently.

 ** _xxx_**

Once they'd both released enough of their grief to calm down, they sorted out the details between them. Once they had, they asked both B'Elanna and Tuvok to meet with them. Due to the threat of becoming infected, they couldn't come down to the planet. Nor could Kathryn and Chakotay leave it. Therefore, by necessity, their conversation would have to be by comm. Kathryn wasn't sure if she was relieved she wouldn't have to look them in the eye or frustrated. Glancing once more at Chakotay, who gave her a reassuring nod, she opened the comm. line.

"B'Elanna, Tuvok, thank you for agreeing to meet us. Chakotay and I have a request to make of you." She paused, not sure how to broach the subject. Clearing her throat she decided to just dive right in. "We've decided not to have the Doctor reïmplant the embryo. Instead, we want her to stay aboard Voyager. And we'd like to ask you to be her godparents."

Now that she had started, the words rolled right out, giving neither Tuvok nor B'Elanna a chance to interrupt before she was finished. "Now, we're not asking you to raise her. We couldn't ask you to take up that responsibility. She's to stay in stasis as long as Voyager remains in the Delta Quadrant. But we'd appreciate it if you'd keep an eye on her, check up on her from time to time. And if you do make it home, please make sure she's entrusted to my mother and sister, if they are still alive. It will be up to them to decide what to do with her."

It was silent for a moment. Then Tuvok responded solemnly: "I would be honoured to be your child's godparent, Captain."

B'Elanna didn't sound nearly as certain. "Are you sure about this, Chakotay?" she hedged. "I'm not exactly what you'd call godparent material. Perhaps Mike would-…" Chakotay cut off her prevarication.

"I'm sure Ayala would be a good godfather, but I'd rather have you, B'Elanna." He said, gently but firm. "I know nothing can happen to her while she's under your protection."

"I…" B'Elanna stammered, very moved and not quite sure how to react for a moment. Then she realised there was only one answer. "I'd be honoured."

Chakotay and Kathryn shared a relieved look.

"Thank you both." Kathryn said, smiling gently at the younger woman's hesitation, even though the engineer couldn't see it. "It's a relief to know our daughter is in such good hands."

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: thank you TimetravelingArchaeologist, Gottahavemyncis, mabb5, bevfan, scwusa and Indian Summer 2378 for your kind reviews!**

From the moment Voyager left, Kathryn threw herself into her research. She was acutely aware of the urgency of finding an antidote. Every second that slipped away made it more unlikely they would ever be able to catch up with Voyager. Chakotay was slightly worried about her blind dedication, but he understood her motivation and decided to indulge her. Knowing that there was once again nothing he could do to help with her work, he focussed on making their stay as comfortable as possible and give Kathryn the space she needed to focus completely on her research.

To his surprise, the skills he'd reviled as a teenager came back to him easily and he found he enjoyed the simple pleasures of crafting wood and creating a home. Now that he could look back on his past, both his childhood and his Starfleet and Maquis days, without the shadow of anger that had hung over them for so long, he could see clearly that he'd spend his whole life trying to find a place where he fit in. His anger stemmed from seeing those hopes disappointed time and again. First his home planet had failed to live up to his wishes of a more modern lifestyle, causing all the disagreements with his father. Then, once he'd thought he'd made a home for himself in Starfleet, they too had let him down with their inaction against the Cardassian hostilities. Joining the Maquis had been an act of desperation. He had finally given up hope of ever finding a home and had simply embraced his anger.

Voyager had been a second chance. The first few weeks had been difficult, but then he'd slowly started to realise that this was exactly the life he'd tried to build for himself before. Voyager was the modern life he'd chosen for himself, but with a leader he believed in, who wore her principles and morals as a uniform and always tried to live up to the highest standards. He'd soon found reason to admire her, even more so after Seska's actions had forced her into an impossible situation. As the days on New Earth lengthened, he realised that his feelings were changing. There was admiration, of course, and friendship. But more and more, he realised he was also falling in love with his (former) Captain. The realisation was bittersweet. On the one hand, it made possibly spending the rest of their lives together a far more appealing prospect. On the other, while he'd always felt the pain of leaving his daughter, more and more it began to feel like he wasn't simply separated from her, but that their family had been split apart. Again, part of his family had been torn away from him. The more he enjoyed Kathryn's presence, the more he could see their potential. But he tucked those feelings away as best he could. He knew she struggled with the situation too and didn't want to add to her burden. Instead, he did his best to be cheerful and positive and hide any darker feelings away.

Then the storm hit, destroying all their equipment and in one night removing any hope they might have of finding a cure. Kathryn was devastated. Chakotay held her, comforted her and protected her and tried valiantly to hide his own despair, though his heart too was breaking. When the storm died down, they went out together. They were met by total destruction. They did their best to clean up the mess the storm had wreaked, but their heart wasn't in it. They both knew that their hopes for finding a cure and rejoining Voyager were dashed beyond repair. After a few hours, the worst of the chaos had been righted and Kathryn retreated to her alcove, seeking solitude. Chakotay too felt his own feelings threatening to overcome him, so he took out his medicine bundle and left the cabin behind.

He hoped that a vision quest would restore his equilibrium. He found a suitable spot in the woods, sat down and spread open the bundle. But before he could start a quest, his attention was caught by the holo image of his daughter. He slowly removed it from the leather and activated the image. A small but perfect figure appeared of his daughter as a new-born baby. She was curled up in the foetal position, her eyes closed as if sleeping, but he could imaging the blue eyes that would look so startling against her slightly darker skin. Hesitantly, he moved his hand to just behind her, cupping the image so it looked as if the baby was cradled in his hand, though he remained just far enough away that he wouldn't disturb the image. His throat hoarse with sadness, he started murmuring to her softly, telling her how much he loved her. Tears were streaming freely down his face, but he paid them no heed. He didn't take his eyes of the image until a loud crack startled him and he looked up. Kathryn was standing at the edge of his small clearing, looking like a waif in one of her long nightgowns, her face pale and grief-stricken. When he did nothing but look at her, Kathryn slowly inched closer, looking for a sign that she wasn't welcome, though unsure if that would be enough to make her leave. She'd obviously come out here looking for comfort, just as he had. He made no move, either to stop or encourage her, too worn out himself. She lowered herself to the ground next to him, perching on a medium-sized tree branch. Only then did her eyes flicker from his face to the image in his hands. She involuntarily reached out to it, before stopping herself. Wordlessly, Chakotay stopped cradling the picture and handed it to her. She took the imager carefully, afraid to even jostle it.

"Our daughter," she breathed, somewhere between a question and a wish. "She's beautiful."

Her acknowledgement of their daughter's beauty brought out a hint of a smile in Chakotay. Kathryn, unable to lift her eyes from the image, blindly fumbled for his hand, finally clasping it firmly. He squeezed back. "Yes she is," he acknowledged softly.

At his words, her eyes finally left the holovid and she showed him a crooked smile. "I heard you call her something, what was it?"

Chakotay sucked in a quick breath, surprised that she had heard him. Then he hesitated a moment, unsure whether he wanted to share what he'd secretly been calling their child, afraid she'd reject it. "Wóape," he finally said, "it means Hope in the language of my people."

Kathryn smiled through her tears. "It's perfect." Her eyes returned to the image. "Wóape," she repeated.

 _ **xxx**_

Over the next few days, the image became a part of their lives. Chakotay never put it back in his medicine bundle. Instead, it found a permanent place in the living room of their small cabin. There it stood until Tuvok's call came, which informed them they could leave.

 _ **xxx**_

After they'd been beamed back aboard, her command codes had been restored to her and she and Chakotay had been welcomed back, the first place Kathryn visited was the carbo bay that housed the stasis pod with her child. For the first time since the procedure that had removed her from her womb, Kathryn went to see her daughter.

 _ **The End**_

Of this story, but not the series.


End file.
